“Coun Goodman should not be able to continue as leader now that his true thoughts and feelings are known. We really want to work with the council on this issue and have tried for two years-plus
now, all to no avail. I am glad to say that I have had some very positive and constructive discussions with council officers with a view to initiating a steering group for the town with all parties
invited to be a part.

“The council has acknowledged that there is a general assumption that accommodation is already fully booked during the Olympics and has proposed a plan of
action including additional promotion and Olympic-themed materials to give to guests and put on their websites.”

The petition is available to sign until July 6 online at ipetitions. com/petition/voteofnoconfidenceinwpbcleader2012/

Email response to plea for apology

‘THANK you (David Price) for your e-mail. I am certainly very sorry that your members have been dragged into a party political campaign and as a consequence have been upset.

However, publishing my e-mail was not my decision and perhaps you should be asking who chose to try to damage my reputation and in so doing, inflamed the situation.

Of course, if I had known that my internal communication was going to be used in that way, I would have used much more diplomatic language. I get very upset when the best efforts of the council are
regularly undermined by small sections of the community who prefer to use the pages of the Echo rather than engaging in genuine open debate with the council.

Recently, I have signed off several press releases about the torch relay event on the beach on July 12 and other events of this summer.

I have done interviews for ITV and Radio Solent about the laser lights and just today, with Wessex FM about the Olympic Games and our message that people should plan their visits and their stays
during that period.

In all of these I emphasise that people should come to Weymouth to experience what we have to offer.

With respect, it is now your job to capture them and get them to sleep in your beds. Your people were set up by the Echo and I have been set up by a political opponent.

I am not going to give either of them the satisfaction of conducting my business through their pages and to their agenda.’ Mike Goodman